Wagering game with side wager providing tournament entry award

ABSTRACT

A method of playing an underlying wagering game using standard playing cards which includes a side bet wager providing players with the chance to win entry to a wagering game tournament, the method comprising the steps of: placing a first wager on a casino card game with specified rules; placing a side bet wager, wherein the outcome of the side bet wager depends on a comparison of the player&#39;s hand rank with a plurality of preset criteria; dealing the cards; resolving the first wager; comparing the player&#39;s hand with the plurality of preset criteria to resolve the side bet wager, wherein payouts are made on hands meeting the preset winning criteria, and when a player&#39;s hand also meets a second criteria qualifying for tournament entry, awarding the winning player a tournament entry voucher.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to wagering games, casino table wageringgames, casino table playing card wagering games, and variants of casinotable wagering games that use poker ranks in determining outcomes.

2. Background of the Art

Conventional card or wagering game tournaments require the players topay an entry fee. This fee can vary but is commonly fairly expensive.After the entry fee is paid, the players play with tournament chips,which they do not purchase. Thus, the entry fee is typically the onlycost of participation.

Although such tournaments are exciting and fun for the players andaudience, they often lack participants. This can be for a variety ofreasons, the most obvious of which is that instead of paying thetournament entry fee, players would rather use that money to play ontheir own.

It has been found that tournament participation has been increased bytelevising the events. However, this can be expensive. Moreover, thiscan be risky in that the organizers can suffer a financial loss shouldplayer participation not at least meet a minimum amount.

There have been previous attempts at increasing tournamentparticipation. For example, LET IT RIDE BONUS® Poker, as disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 6,334,614, entitled MULTI-TIERED WAGERING METHOD AND GAME,and the more basic play of LET IT RIDE® casino table poker game asdescribed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,273,424 and 5,288,081 disclose a card gamein which the player plays a five card poker game. U.S. Pat. Nos.5,544,892 and 6,019,374 disclose a “Tournament” form of this game, amongother things. The aforementioned patents are all assigned to ShuffleMaster, Inc. The contents of these patents are also incorporated hereinby reference.

In the “Bonus” form of the LET IT RIDE® game, the player has an optionto make a side bet on the occurrence of certain predetermined cardcombinations. The card combinations that qualify for bonus payments area subset of winning card combinations appearing on the pay table in thebase game, commonly the highest raking card combinations. In the“Tournament” form of the game, an optional side bet is made. The playerqualifies for bonus payouts as described in the Bonus form of the game.Additionally, for certain high ranking hands, such as a royal flush, theplayer qualifies to return and participate in a playoff event.

For reasons such as those cited above, among others, there is acompelling interest in developing methods that would increase playerparticipation in wagering game tournaments. It would especially bebeneficial and desirable to casinos, gaming suppliers, and players, ifsuch a method was uncomplicated and did not add further burden orexpense. Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a methodwhich meets the aforementioned needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention meets the aforementioned needs, among otherthings, by providing a new and interesting wagering games and methodsfor increasing tournament participation.

In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of playinga wagering game using standard playing cards which includes a side betwager providing players with the chance to win entry to a separatewagering game tournament, the method comprising the steps of: placing awager on an underlying wagering game with predetermined rules; placing aside bet wager, wherein the outcome of the side wager depends on acomparison of the player's hand rank with a plurality of presetcriteria; dealing the cards to form a player's hand and a dealer's hand;comparing the player's hand with the plurality of preset criteria toresolve the side bet wager, and awarding both a monetary amountdetermined by multiplying the side bet wager by a specific multiple, andwherein at least one of the plurality of preset criteria is operativelyassociated with the granting of a second award to a player uponsatisfaction thereof, the second award including an entry pass to aseparate wagering game tournament. The specific multiple is preferablybased on the particular preset criteria satisfied.

Preferably, the underlying game is one in which the player plays againstthe dealer's hand. In one embodiment, the plurality of preset criteriacomprise at least one standard poker hand rank, and may comprise pokerhand rankings of royal flush, straight flush, flush, straight andthree-of-a-kind. Preferably, the preset criteria operatively associatedwith the granting of a second award to a player comprises a royal flush.

In a preferred embodiment, the underlying game is Three Card Poker®, agame marketed by Shuffle Master, Inc. The side wager may be optional ormandatory. Preferably, the plurality of preset criteria comprise pokerhand rankings of a pair, flush, straight, three-of-a-kind, straightflush and mini-royal flush, and the second award is granted to playersreceiving a mini-royal flush. The monetary award is preferablydetermined by the following paytable: Player's hand rank Ratio of firstaward to side bet wager Pair 1 to 1 Flush 4 to 1 Straight 6 to 1Three-of-a-Kind 25 to 1  Straight Flush 40 to 1  Mini Royal Flush 50 to1 

The present invention is also directed to a method of qualifying fortournament play, comprising: placing a first wager to play an underlyingcasino card game; placing a second wager on the occurrence of one of aplurality of predetermined winning card combinations; dealing cards toeach player; dealing cards to a dealer when the casino card game rulesso require; resolving the first wager according to the rules of thecasino card game; resolving the second wager against the predeterminedwinning card combinations and when a player holds a predeterminedwinning card combination, a payout is made, and when the winning cardcombination is designated for tournament entry, awarding the winningplayer an entry voucher. The entry voucher may be transferable.

The underlying casino game is typically a game where the players playagainst a dealer hand, and in a preferred embodiment, the game is aThree Card Poker® game. In such an embodiment, the first and second betsare preferably mandatory, but the first and/or second bets may beoptional. The designated tournament entry hand is preferably amini-royal. Winning payouts on the second bet are preferably resolvedusing a pay table. In another embodiment, the earnings from the secondbet are used to fund tournament prizes.

The present invention is also directed to a multi-player platform thatprovides multiple player positions for live players to engage in aninteractive wagering game with a virtual dealer and virtual cardscomprising at least two player positions that enable players to placewagers on the game, a display system for showing a virtual dealer, adisplay system for showing the virtual cards used in play of the game,and a database that contains the rules of the wagering game, and a gameengine for processing a game script including instructional stepsenabling game play for each player according to the rules in thedatabase.

In one embodiment, the multi-player platform is configured and adaptedto operate a game having a game script comprising the steps of:receiving a wager on an underlying game with predetermined rules;receiving a side wager from a player, wherein the outcome of the sidebet wager depends on a comparison of the player's hand rank with aplurality of preset criteria; dealing cards to form a player's hand anda dealer's hand; comparing the player's hand with the plurality ofpreset criteria to resolve the side bet wager, and awarding both amonetary amount determined by multiplying the side bet wager by aspecific multiple, the specific multiple being based on the particularpreset criteria satisfied, and wherein at least one of the plurality ofpreset criteria is operatively associated with the granting of a secondaward to a player upon satisfaction thereof, the second award includingan entry pass to a separate wagering game tournament.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the aforementionedgame and platform are configured and adapted so that the plurality ofpreset criteria comprise at least one standard poker hand rank.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, theaforementioned game and platform are configured and adapted so that theat least one of the plurality of preset criteria operatively associatedwith the granting of a second award to a player comprises a royal flush.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, theaforementioned game and platform are configured and adapted so that theunderlying game is a Three Card Poker® game. The game and platform maybe configured and adapted so that the side wager is mandatory. The sidewager may also be optional. In this embodiment, the game and platformmay also be configured and adapted so that the plurality of presetcriteria comprise poker hand rankings of a pair, flush, straight,three-of-a-kind, straight flush and mini-royal flush, and the secondaward is granted to a player that receives a mini-royal flush.

The present invention is also directed to a system for playing awagering game comprising a database, a processor and a user interface.The database preferably is configured and adapted for storing game datarelating to rules of a poker-type game and a side wager associatedtherewith, side wager winning criteria and a pay table relating thereto.The processor is preferably configured and adapted for: receiving awager on an underlying game with predetermined rules; receiving a sidewager from a player, wherein the outcome of the side bet wager dependson a comparison of the player's hand rank with a plurality of presetcriteria; dealing cards to form a player's hand and a dealer's hand; andcomparing the player's hand with the plurality of preset criteria toresolve the side bet wager, and awarding both a monetary amountdetermined by multiplying the side bet wager by a specific multiple, thespecific multiple being based on the particular preset criteriasatisfied, and wherein at least one of the plurality of preset criteriais operatively associated with the granting of a second award to aplayer upon satisfaction thereof, the second award including an entrypass to a separate wagering game tournament. The user interface may alsobe configured and adapted for facilitating player wagers andcommunicating game activity.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the user interfaceis a portable, semi-portable or handheld device configured to providethe player with access to a game through wireless communication withother system components.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the userinterface is configured to operate over the world wide web to providethe player with access to the game using the world wide web.

The present invention is also directed to a machine readable media forfacilitating a method of playing a wagering game, comprising one or moredata segments and one or more code segments. The one or more datasegments are preferably configured and adapted for storing game datarelating to rules of a poker-type game and storing side wager winningcriteria and a pay table relating thereto. The one or more code segmentsare preferably configured and adapted for receiving a wager on anunderlying game with predetermined rules; receiving a side wager from aplayer, wherein the outcome of the side bet wager depends on acomparison of the player's hand rank with a plurality of presetcriteria; dealing cards to form a player's hand and a dealer's hand; andcomparing the player's hand with the plurality of preset criteria toresolve the side bet wager, and awarding both a monetary amountdetermined by multiplying the side bet wager by a specific multiple, thespecific multiple being based on the particular preset criteriasatisfied, and wherein at least one of the plurality of preset criteriais operatively associated with the granting of a second award to aplayer upon satisfaction thereof, the second award including an entrypass to a separate wagering game tournament.

These and other aspects of the system and method of the presentinvention will become more readily apparent to those having ordinaryskill in the art from the following detailed description of theinvention taken in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

So that those having ordinary skill in the art to which the presentinvention pertains will more readily understand how to make and use themethod and system of the present disclosure, preferred and exemplaryembodiments thereof will be described in detail herein below withreference to the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1A shows a playing surface for use in playing a card game in apreferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1B shows a perspective view of a prior art format for an automatedgaming system;

FIG. 2 shows a top plan view of a prior art format for an automatedgaming system;

FIG. 3 shows a side elevational view of a prior art format for anautomated gaming system;

FIG. 4 shows a block schematic diagram of the electronic configurationof a prior art automated gaming system;

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a format for an automated gamingsystem according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of a gaming engine useful in thepractice of the present invention;

FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of a player station useful in thepractice of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 shows a schematic diagram of a game display useful in thepractice of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following description is provided to illustrate various embodimentsof the invention, but the description is not intended to limit the scopeof the invention. For the purposes of this disclosure, “game elements”or “gaming elements” means information used by a player or dealer toparticipate in the game such as the face value of cards, dice, the facevalue of a die or dice, slot symbols, angular positions on a wheel orreel game, cards (e.g., from a standard or non-standard playing deck),tiles or the like. A preferred medium of play is with a single, typical(standard) fifty-two card poker deck (with or without jokers, or withcards removed as with Spanish Twenty-One™ where tens are removed fromthe deck) and a specific preferred game broadly involves the generallywell recognized and accepted set of rules, procedures andwager-resolving outcomes of five card poker.

The gaming methods described in this disclosure may be played in anumber of different formats such as live action casino table gamingformat with a live dealer and real playing cards and chips, or withvarious automated formats with partial (e.g., wagers only) or complete(wagers, cards, dealer, etc.) automation of the format.

In one embodiment, the method of the present invention comprises a sidewager against a pay table in an underlying game initiated by one or moreplayers placing an ante wager against a dealer hand. The side wager maybe added to the underlying game as a separate wager or incorporated in aside wager which is already included in the game. Preferably, the sidewager is mandatory, but it may also be optional. The underlying game ispreferably a poker-based game played as a table game using standardplaying cards or as a simulation of a live table game supported on aninteractive platform with representations of a dealer and cards.

The ante wager in the underlying game is preferably a wager against thedealer, in that it has an outcome that is resolved by comparing handrankings between each player and the dealer to determine which of thetwo rankings is highest. The highest ranking hand between each playerand the dealer wins the ante wager, which preferably pays even money(i.e., 1 to 1) on any amount wagered.

If a side wager is not already part of the underlying game, the sidewager of the present invention is resolved by a comparison of theplayer's hand placing a side wager and a plurality of preset (i.e., setprior to the game being played) criteria to determine if any of theplurality of preset criteria have been satisfied. Preferably, only oneof the plurality of preset criteria must be satisfied for the player towin. If the player, for example, has a hand combination which satisfiesthe preset criteria, the player is granted an award. The awardpreferably includes an entry pass to a wagering game tournament.Preferably, the wagering game tournament involves the same underlyinggame.

The preset criteria may relate to the cards received, poker hand rankingachieved or be satisfied if the player receives one or more specialcards which can be added to the decks of cards used in the underlyinggame. The preset criteria may be set for the entire game or changebetween rounds, through a random selection system or otherwise, and anew criteria set prior to the beginning of each new round.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a side wagerassociated with an award is already included in the underlying game.Thus, a side wager of the present invention would further include asecond award in addition to the first, wherein satisfaction of at leastone preset criteria results in a tournament entry pass.

For example, the present invention can be embodied in an underlying gamehaving an existing side wager wherein the outcome of the side wagerdepends on a comparison with the player's hand rank and a pay tablelisting winning hand ranks and corresponding payout multiples or “odds.”The side wager is therefore resolved by comparing the player's hand witha plurality of preset criteria to determine whether payment of amonetary award is appropriate. Typically, the award would be determinedby multiplying the amount of the side wager by a particular multiple,wherein the multiple depends on the specific criteria satisfied.According to the present invention, additional criteria would be setsuch that the player satisfying the criteria would win a tournamententry pass if the player placed the side wager.

Although the criteria for winning a monetary award on a side wager andthe criteria for winning a tournament entry pass may be completelydifferent, it is preferable that the preset criteria for winning atournament entry pass be set as one or more of the criteria for winninga monetary award. Thus, in certain cases, a monetary award and atournament entry pass would be awarded to a player for satisfying one ormore particular preset criteria.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention incorporates the presentinvention with the well known game of Three Card Poker®. U.S. Pat. Nos.5,685,774, 6,056,641, 6,237,916, 6,345,823 and 6,698,759 (all assignedto Shuffle Master, Inc.) disclose methods for playing the game of ThreeCard Poker®, and its variations, among other things. These patents arehereby incorporated herein.

In the standard game, three cards are dealt to each player and threecards are dealt to the dealer, all face down. Initially one or twowagers may be made by the player. One such side wager is for the “PairPlus” bonus bet, a bet on achieving a winning combination included in apayout table. Another wager is the game “Ante” on which the playercompetes against the dealer. House rules dictate whether the Ante, PairPlus or both bets are mandatory. The Pair Plus bet in one disclosedexample is a wager that the three card hand will have a rank of at leastone pair or more. The hand is paid off in multiples of the bet dependingupon the rank of the hand, with up to 40:1 (or more), for example, paidout for three-of-a-kind. In the ante wager, if the player wants tocompete against the dealer's hand (after viewing the rank of theplayer's hand), an additional “Play” wager equal to one or two times theAnte must be placed by the player. The dealer's hand is then exposed. Ifthe dealer does not have a hand of at least a certain qualifying rank(e.g., at least Queen high), the dealer's hand is not in play. If theplayer has not made the additional Play wager, the Ante is collected bythe dealer at some point in the play of the game. If the player has madethe additional Play wager, the Ante is paid off to the player if thedealer's hand has not qualified or if the dealer's hand is not as high arank as the player's hand. If the dealer's hand has qualified, and thedealer's hand is higher than the player's hand, then the Ante and theadditional Play wager are collected by the house. If the dealer's handqualifies (e.g., at least Queen high) and is lower than the player'shand rank, both the Ante and additional Play wager are paid off. Anadditional Ante payout that pays according to a multiple is also paidfor certain high ranking hands (e.g., straights, flushes, straightflushes, three-of-a-kind, etc.).

The standard game employs a hierarchy of the various poker hands whichis different than in typical five card poker games. The standard pokerrankings in five card poker type games are presented in the followingdescending order: Royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, fullhouse, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair and a pair. Accordingto a preferred form of the invention, four of a kind, full house and twopair are not included in the three card poker pay table as thoseoutcomes require more than three cards. A royal flush beats a straightflush in Five Card Poker. In three card poker, the order of certainhands (flush, straight and three of a kind) is inverted. The change inranking is dictated by the frequency of occurrence of those hands.Although the minimum winning card combination in this example is a pair,the invention contemplates other minimum hands, such as a single facecard or a high ranking pair, such as a pair of 10's or better.

In the case of one preferred version, hands are preferably ranked asfollows, where A=ace, K=king, Q=queen, J=jack and numbers 10 to 2designate the other cards:

Highest:

-   -   STRAIGHT FLUSH: Three cards of one suit in sequence        -   AKQ highest ranking brag        -   KQJ next highest ranking brag        -   QJ10 next highest ranking brag, and so on        -   until        -   32A lowest ranking brag    -   TRIPS: Three cards of one Rank        -   AAA highest        -   KKK next highest ranking trips, and so on,        -   until        -   222 lowest ranking trips    -   RUN: Three cards of mixed suits in sequence        -   AKQ highest ranking        -   KQJ next highest ranking, and so on,        -   until        -   32A lowest ranking    -   FLUSH: Three cards of One Suit        -   AKJ highest ranking        -   AK10 next highest, and so on, until        -   532 lowest ranking    -   PAIR: Two cards of the Same Rank        -   AAK highest ranking        -   AAQ next highest ranking, and so on,        -   until        -   223 lowest ranking

Lowest:

-   -   HIGH CARD (a hand comprising none of the above combinations)        -   AKJ highest ranking        -   AK10 next highest ranking, and so on,        -   until        -   532 lowest ranking

Ace is high, but can be low in 3-2-A Sequence.

The payout on the Pair Plus side wager may be made in accordance with apredetermined scale. The payouts may be at different rates that areproportional to the original wager, but not necessarily whole numbermultipliers, such as 2 to 1 or 14 to 5 for a pair. Those skilled in theart will appreciate that the payouts may be varied without departingfrom the scope of the present invention.

In a game according to the present invention, the underlying game isThree Card Poker®, as summarized above. According to the presentinvention, the pair plus wager is modified to include at least onepreset criteria that will provide a player with an additional awardconsisting of a tournament entry pass to a Three Card Poker® tournament(e.g., the Three Card Poker National Championship™) upon satisfactionthereof. In one form of the invention, the entry pass is transferable toa tournament featuring a different game, such as Let It Ride® theTournament or traditional poker. Preferably, the preset criteriaconsists of the player achieving a hand known in Three Card Poker® asthe Mini-Royal, that is, a hand consisting of an Ace, King and Queen ofthe same suit.

The pair plus wager includes a payout associated therewith that ispreferably reformulated or modified as necessary to account for theadditional payout by the house of the tournament entry fee. For example,the pair plus payout in Three Card Poker® is typically as follows:Critieria Payout Pair 1 to 1 Flush 4 to 1 Straight 6 to 1 3 of a Kind 30to 1  Straight Flush 40 to 1 

In this preferred embodiment, the pair plus payout is modified as shownbelow. Criteria Payout Pair 1 to 1 Flush 3 to 1 Straight 6 to 1 3 of aKind 25 to 1  Straight Flush 40 to 1  Mini Royal 50 to 1**Plus Tournament Entry

It should be noted that the multiple associated with achieving aThree-of-a-Kind has been lowered and a ranking of mini-royal added alongwith an associated multiple of 50 times (50 to 1) the wager. This changewas made for a variety of reasons, such as to account for the extraamount paid out by the house to fund the tournament entry fee andprovide a perceived additional benefit to the players. It should bereadily apparent that the pair plus payout may be otherwise modified ina variety of ways to account for the tournament entry fee. Furthermore,the game according to the present invention may award the player with atransferable or non-transferable entry pass or voucher to a separatewagering game tournament.

It should be readily apparent that the entry pass can be for a regionaltournament that is used to qualify players for a play-off tournament,and that the entry pass to the regional event may be transferable whilethe play off event tickets are not. Alternatively, both tickets can betransferable to other players, to other tournaments and to tournamentswith different underlying games.

In one form of the inventions, the pay table is adjusted so that thehouse retains additional revenue to fund a separate tournament. Thehouse keeps track of the number of tournament entry tickets awarded(corresponding to the number of mini-royals in the above preferredembodiment) and pays the tournament organizer either a fixed amount perticket awarded or a percentage of the additional winnings retained.

A portion of the tournament organizer's payments are used to fundtournament prizes. Alternatively, the casino and/or the tournamentorganizer could fund the tournament prizes, depending upon the extraamounts retained by the house and paid to the tournament organizer.

Typically, the game would be played on an apparatus that comprises arigid playing surface of board, plastic or other suitable material ormay comprise a cloth or other flexible material defining a playingsurface. A cloth playing surface is commonly referred to in the industryas a layout.

In a preferred form, as shown in FIG. 1A, the surface is of generallysemi-circular form, the dealer's playing area being located proximatethe straight edge of the playing surface or centrally thereof and theplayers' playing areas being disposed side-by-side in an arcuate arrayadjacent the curved edge of the playing surface.

A playing surface or table layout 210 may be marked or placed on anysuitable surface such as a gaming table. For example, the layout may bein the form of a layout cloth supported on a supporting surface. Ingeneral, the invention can be practiced on existing casino tables, thusproviding casino operators with additional revenue generating featureswithout requiring extra casino tables, space, or game surveillance.

Layout 210 provides a playing area 212 for a plurality of players, forexample seven players, and a separate area 214 for a banker who alsopreferably acts as a dealer. Each playing area 212 has a number ofmarked sections or zones 216, 218, and 220 for the player to placevarious wagers as will be described hereinafter. Layout 210 alsodisplays various payout schedules 222 and 224. Other wager areas and/orinformation can be displayed on layout 210, such as the “Three CardPoker National Championship” promotional markings illustrated in FIG.1A.

Each player takes a place at one of the areas 212. The game is played ina number of rounds as will be described. In each round, each playerplays against the dealer and optionally wagers on the rank of his hand.The game can be played with a standard 52-card deck or a modified deckas described herein.

According to one example of a game of the present invention, each playerwho decides to play a particular round of the game must place an Antewager on the value of that player's hand against that of the dealer andmay place an optional Pair Plus wager. Each player makes an Ante wagerby placing an appropriate wager, such as a toke (or chip), in section218 of his playing area 212. The gaming chips may be of any conventionalkind and are available in a number of denominations such as are wellknown within the art. If the player wishes to make the optional PairPlus wager based on the value of his hand, he places an appropriate toke(or chip) in section 216 of his playing area 212. In an alternativevariation of the game, the Pair Plus wager can only be placed if theAnte wager is also placed. In yet another example, both the Ante andPair Plus wagers are mandatory. In the present example, the rules of thegame provide that payouts will be made according to displayed Pair Pluspayout schedules 222 (Pair Plus payouts starting at a Pair or better)and Ante bonus payouts according to pay table 224.

The payout schedule may be varied in accordance with rules of the gameand/or by the casino. In the present invention, the schedule may bevaried to account for the additional amount collected by the house dueto fund the tournament entry fees. For example, as illustrated in FIG.1A (schedule 222), the payout schedule of this embodiment is as follows:Pair  1 to 1. Flush 4 to 1 Straight 6 to 1 Three of a Kind 25 to 1 Straight Flush 40 to 1  Mini Royal 50 to 1*

The asterisk (*) refers to this payout including a tournament entry feefor the Three Card Poker National Championship™. The payout schedulesare preferably displayed in a convenient manner and location. Thedetails of payouts and any other payouts (e.g., extra bonus) may bemarked on each player's playing 212 as illustrated in FIG. 1A. However,alternative arrangements can be used with the invention.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the twowagering options are independent, so that a player may wager unequalamounts on the Ante and Pair Plus options. In an alternative variationof the game, the Ante and Pair bets have a prescribed relationship.

In one form of the invention, commissions paid to the tournamentorganizer for each ticket awarded are based on a fixed bet of $5, forexample. The amounts paid to the organizer are typically fixed, butcould vary with the amounts bet on the Pair Plus wager, or other sidewager.

After the above wagers are placed, the dealer preferably shuffles thecards (manually or otherwise) and then deals a three-card hand to eachplayer and to himself. The cards may initially be dealt to the playersface-up or face-down depending upon casino policy. All the dealer'scards are dealt face-down in this preferred embodiment.

After the cards have been dealt, the player inspects his hand anddetermines whether he wishes either to forfeit his Ante wager and notplay the hand, or to continue. If he wishes to continue, according tothis illustrated embodiment, he must place a Play wager, which must beof proportionate value to and is preferably is equal to the Ante wager.The Play wager is made by placing an appropriate toke (or chip) insection 220 of his playing area 212. After making the Play wager, theplayer places his cards in the area below section 220.

If a player has only made an Ante wager and decides not to make a Playwager, he forfeits his Ante wager, which is taken by the banker and theplayer's cards are discarded before the game proceeds.

At this point, the dealer then reveals his cards and arranges the cardsto show the value of his hand. The dealer then in turn reveals eachother player's hand (if not already visible) and resolves each player'swager(s). The dealer must qualify to play.

All players with Ante and Play wagers are automatically winners if thedealer does not have a Queen high hand or better. This rank may bevaried in accordance with rules of the game or of the casino. As isillustrated in schedule 226 of FIG. 1A, when the dealer does notqualify, players are preferably paid even money (one to one) on theirAnte wager and their Play wager is returned (a Push).

If the dealer has a Queen high qualifying hand or better, each player'shand is compared with that of the dealer. If the player's hand is higher(i.e., the rank of the player's hand exceeds that of the dealer's hand),the player is paid even money on both Ante and Play wagers (schedule226). If the player's hand is lower, the player forfeits his Ante andPlay wagers. If the dealer and player have the same hand, the player mayeither withdraw his wager or leave or amend it for the next round.

Preferably an additional extra bonus payout (e.g., Ante Bonus) is madeby the banker to any player who is in play against the dealer (i.e., whohas made the Ante and Play wagers) and who has a hand of a predeterminedhigh rank. The ranks to which such extra bonus payouts are made may bepredetermined by rules of the game and/or the casino. For example, asillustrated in FIG. 1A (schedule 224), the extra bonus payout scheduleof this embodiment is as follows: Straight  1 to 1. Three of a Kind 5 to1 Straight Flush 6 to 1

Players who have also wagered on the value of the hand (i.e., Pair Pluswagers) win if the hand is at least a Pair, and are paid by the bankeraccording to the posted scale (e.g., schedule 222 of FIG. 1A). Thesepayouts are independent of the results of the game against the dealer.As described above, if the player places the Pair Plus wager andreceives a Mini Royal, the player is awarded 50 times the amount of thepair plus wager and a tournament entry ticket.

This procedure completes a single round of the game. Play then continuesin another round, with players commencing by making Ante and Pair Pluswagers.

The novel methods of the present invention may be played utilizingplaying cards as illustrated above, or on an electrical orelectro-mechanical device such as a single or multiple player gamingmachine. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that suitable controlscan be provided for receiving the necessary input and therefore will notbe described in detail herein. While the gaming device is intended forplay by a single player against the playing device, it is also withinthe scope of the present invention to provide a multi-unit video formatwherein a plurality of players may play against each other and/oragainst a dealer. Similarly, from the present description, those skilledin the art will appreciate that the novel games of the present inventionare readily adaptable for play either within a gaming establishment orat a remote location, such as on a terminal provided in a commercialaircraft, in a hotel room within a casino, or on the internet, forexample. Furthermore, the game is readily adaptable to a scratch cardformat.

From the present description, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat various modifications may be made without department from the scopeof the present invention. For example, the naming of the wagers, thenaming and/or ranking of any hand, the payout schedule and predeterminedwinning or losing ranks may be varied in accordance with therequirements of the casino. The table layout may be varied from thatdescribed and shown. The rules may be varied, or additional rulesimposed, within the scope of the invention.

In accordance with the present invention, a method and system configuredfor simulating a live table game typically played in a casino andadapted to provide interactive game play, including receiving real-timewagers from one or more live game players and presenting representativegame hands without involving physical playing cards, physical wageringchips or currency or live casino personnel such as dealers. Systems ofthe present invention, such as a multi-player platform, can beconstructed, modified, or retrofitted in accordance with the presentinvention.

The game of the present invention can also be in the form of anexecutable program played on a computerized apparatus or system whichmay be integrated with one or more multimedia transceiving terminals.The game can be played by wagering monetary amounts or the game can beplayed with non-monetary credits. Practice play (that is, play fornon-monetary credit) is contemplated according to the present invention.It should be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that a systemin accordance with the present invention can include various computerand network related software and hardware, such as computer languageprograms, operating systems, memory storage devices, input/outputdevices, data processors, servers with links to data communicationsystems, wireless or otherwise, such as those which take the form of alocal or wide area distributed computing network, and a plurality ofdata transceiving terminals within the network, such as personalcomputers, or otherwise. It should be understood that the system of thepresent invention may also include multiple, redundant or backup devicesof those described herein. Those skilled in the art will furtherappreciate that, so long as its users are provided with access to asystem and the ability to play the game according to the presentinvention, the type of network, software or hardware is not vital to itsfull implementation.

In an exemplary embodiment, the core functional components of a gamesystem of the present invention include a database, processor, and oneor more graphical user interfaces. One exemplary system can beconfigured to function as a free standing terminal but may also beconfigured provide the game of the present invention to a plurality ofplayers via the world wide web.

Another exemplary system includes servers and processors for conductinggame play and one or more portable devices having input and outputinterfaces supported thereon. The portable devices and servers arepreferably configured to communicate via wireless connection. Theservers and portable devices can be configured to transfer financialinformation, game selections, game play information and game results andpresent information to the user as necessary through a graphical userinterface included in the portable device.

The system provides game play to players through graphical userinterfaces which preferably include data entry terminals and monitorsthat provide visual depictions of the game as play ensues. The dataentry terminals are preferably adjacent the monitor and can includebuttons, touch screens, voice responsive actuators or any other devicefor indicating a preference.

The data storage device, which contains the programming, game rules,predefined criteria, wagering and payment information, among other datarelating to operation of the game in accordance with the presentinvention, is operatively associated with one or more analyticalprocessors by a control program. Programs in the system of the presentinvention may contain an instruction set written in a conventionalcomputing language such as HTML, C++ or Java, for coordinating theinteractive relationship between the data storage device, processor andgraphical user interface.

The game play on the system of the present invention is preferablyinitiated by the player placing one or more wagers. The wagers can beplaced by the player inserting money into a specially configuredreceiving slot in the data terminal or electronically from a credit cardor ticket inserted into a reader or by inputting credit information intothe system of the present invention via user interface. The wager amountis temporarily stored in the data storage device. The system accessesthe game rules from the data storage device and game play continuesaccording to the game rules.

During the game, the system may provide options to the player, receiveselections, and compare existing circumstances in the game with anypredefined criteria set in storage, such as a pay table withmathematical formulas or other such relations for prescribing payment onan optional side bet, to determine if any such criteria are satisfied.The game play continues until the final outcome is reached. Any winninghands are paid and the system restarts or otherwise readies itself toreceive wagers for a new game.

Games according to the present invention may be implemented as livetable games, television or cable game show game, video poker gamingmachine platforms, hand-held games for play, multiple player interactivewagering platform games (with kiosk formats, single player screens,community screens, and/or banks of seats for players with a commondealer screen), cell phone games, games downloadable from the internet,parlor games, games executed on personal computers, palm pilots, playstations and the like. Each of the above game formats, among others, iscontemplated by the present invention.

In another embodiment, a game in accordance with the present inventionis provided in a multi-player platform configured to simulate a livetable game. The platform of the present invention is adapted to provideinteractive game play, including receiving real-time wagers from one ormore live game players and presenting representative game hands withoutinvolving physical playing cards or live casino personnel such asdealers. The multi-player platform, can be constructed, modified, orretrofitted in accordance with the present invention. Examples of knownmultiple player platforms are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,607,443, U.S.application Ser. No. 10/764,827, filed Jan. 26, 2004 and published asU.S. Publication No. 2005/0164759, and in U.S. application Ser. No.10/764,995, filed Jan. 26, 2004 and published as U.S. Publication No.2005/0164762. The content of these disclosures are hereby incorporatedherein by reference.

Preferably, a multi-player gaming system that can be used to practicethe method of the present invention comprises a table and an uprightdealer “virtual” video display system positioned for view by playersseated at the table. The table may seat at least two players up to theamount of players that can be configured about the table and have a viewof the dealer video display system. Typically each gaming system willhave at least four player available positions, with space determinationsconsidered as to whether there would be 4, 5, 6 or 7 player positions.It is possible to have a completely circular dealer display (e.g.,holographic display in a cylindrical centerpiece) and have playersdistributed around the entire periphery, but this is too dissimilar tostandard play arrangements and could slow the game down, as play shouldapproximate that of a live game, with players playing in sequence. Asurface of the table will include a display surface for showing allplayer hands, community cards, dealer hands and any other cards used toplay the game for any purpose, and, chips or other wageringdesignations. Alternatively, player hands can be displayed on a separateplayer station screens. The table surface may include push button and ortouch screen player controls, with our without other display featuresspecific to the individual player. For example, the individual playerscreen may show a running history of wins/losses, credits available,credits bet and other play options. A majority of the table surfacecomprises a video monitor in one example of the invention. A separateplayer screen with touch screen controls or separate player controlpanels may be provided at each player station near the continuousdisplay surface.

The use of a large (common) display surface offers some significantadvantages in simulating or recreating a standard card table surface.Cards may be readily viewed by other players at a table, which isstandard in table games and adds to player enjoyment. Individualmonitors, especially where slanted towards the individual players makesuch table-wide card reading difficult. The use of the full screen(continuous) display also allows for better animation to be provided,such as displaying virtual images of cards moving to the player and“virtual” chips being placed on the table when wagers are indicated. Forpurposes of this disclosure, the term “virtual” means a graphical videorepresentation of a real object or person, such as a dealer, cards andchips, for example.

The individual player positions preferably have a separate intelligenceat each player position that accepts player input and communicatesdirectly with a game engine (main game computer or processor). Theintelligence is preferably an intelligent board that can processinformation. For purposes of this disclosure the term “intelligent”refers to the ability to execute code, either provided in the form ofsoftware or hardware or a combination of software and hardware circuits.Such processing may at least comprise some of signal converting (e.g.,signals from player card readers, credit deposit, currency readers, coinreaders, touch screen signals, ticket readers/printers and control panelsignals) into a signal that can be included in an information packet andinterpreted by the main game computer when the signal is sent.Communication between the intelligence at each player position is directto the main game computer and may be by self-initiated signal sending,sequenced polling by the main game computer (e.g., each positioncommunicates directly to the main game computer in turn), timedcommunication, or any other order of communication that is directbetween the intelligence and the main game computer.

One preferred form of communication between the main game computer andplayer station computers is by means of self-initiated signal sending.There is essentially a single main game computer that contains videodisplay controls and programs for both the dealer display and the tabletop display, audio controls and programs, game rules (including storageof multiple games if intended to be available on the machine), randomnumber generator, graphic images, game sequence controls, securitysystems, wager accounting programs, external signaling and auditfunctions, and the like. In other forms of the invention, the abovefunctions are divided between a main processor and one or moreadditional processors. The intelligence at each player position speedsup the performance of all aspects of the game by being able tocommunicate directly with the main game computer and being able toprocess information at the player position rather than merely forwardingthe information in raw form to the main game computer. Processing playerinformation at player positions frees up resources for use by the mainprocessor or processors.

A card game system may also include a suitable data and controlprocessing subsystem that is largely contained within a main controlmodule supported beneath the tabletop. The control and data processingsubsystem includes a suitable power supply for converting alternatingcurrent from the power main as controlled by a main power switch.

The power supply transforms the alternating line current to a suitablevoltage and to a direct current supply. Power is supplied to a powerdistribution and sensor/activity electronics control circuit.Commercially available power switching and control circuits may beprovided in the form of a circuit board which is detachable, and plugsinto a board receptacle of a computer mother board or an expansion slotboard receptacle. A main game controller motherboard may include acentral microprocessor and related components well-known in the industryas computers using Intel brand Pentium® microprocessors and relatedmemory or intelligence from any other manufacturing source. A variety ofdifferent configurations and types of memory devices can be connected tothe motherboard as is well known in the art. Of particular interest isthe inclusion of two flat panel video display control boards connectedin expansion slots of the motherboard. Display control boards are eachcapable of controlling the images displayed for the dealer video displayand for the common display area. More specifically, the display controlboards are connected to player bet interface circuits for the playerstations. This arrangement allows the display control boards to providenecessary image display data to the display electronic drive circuitsassociated with the dealing event program displays and the dealerdisplay.

The motherboard and/or the individual player intelligent boards alsoinclude a serial port that allows stored data to be downloaded from themotherboard to a central casino computer or other additional storagedevice. In one example, each player board communicates directly with thecasino computer system. This allows card game action data to be analyzedin various ways using added detail, or by providing integration withdata from multiple tables so that cheating schemes can be identified andeliminated, and player tracking can be maintained. Player performanceand/or skill can be tracked at one table or as a compilation from gamingat multiple tables, as by using Bloodhound™ security software marketedby Shuffle Master, Inc., which may be incorporated into this automatedgaming system. Additionally, player hand analysis can be performed. Themotherboard and/or individual player intelligent boards may also have akeyboard connection port that can be used to connect a larger formatkeyboard to the system to facilitate programming and servicing of thesystem.

Although the preferred system shown does not require featuresillustrated for receiving automated player identification information,such features can alternatively be provided. Card or ticket readers suchas those used with credit cards, play tracking tickets, player cards orother identification code reading devices can be added in the system toallow or require player identification in connection with play of thecard game and associated recording of game action by one of theprocessors. Such a user identification interface, for example a cardreader located at each player station, can be implemented in the form ofa variety of magnetic card readers commercially available for readinguser-specific identification information. The user-specific informationcan be provided on specially constructed magnetic cards issued by acasino, or magnetically coded credit cards or debit cards frequentlyused with national credit organizations such as VISA™, MASTERCARD™,AMERICAN EXPRESS™, casino player card registry, banks and otherinstitutions. The information could also be provided on other writablemedia, such as an RFID chip or card with writable memory, or bar coding,as just a few examples.

Alternatively, it is possible to use so-called smart cards to provideadded processing or data storage functions in addition to mereidentification data. For example, the user identification could includecoding for available credit amounts purchased from a casino. As furtherexample, the identification card or other user-specific instrument mayinclude specially coded data indicating security information such aswould allow accessing or identifying stored security information whichmust be confirmed by the user after scanning the user identificationcard through a card reader. Such security information might include suchthings as file access numbers which allow the central processor toaccess a stored security clearance code which the user must indicateusing input options provided on displays using touch screen displays. Astill further possibility is to have participant identification using afingerprint image, eye blood vessel image reader, or other suitablebiological information to confirm identity of the user that can be builtinto the table. Still further it is possible to provide such participantidentification information by having the pit personnel manually code inthe information in response to the player indicating his or her codename or real name. Such additional identification could also be used toconfirm credit use of a smart card or transponder. All or part of thefunctions dedicated to a particular player station are controlled by theplayer station intelligence in one form of the invention. Additionally,each player station intelligence may be in communication with a casinoaccounting system.

It should also be understood that the player display screens canalternatively be provided with suitable display cowlings or covers thatcan be used to shield display of card images from viewing by anyoneother than the player in games where that is desirable. This shieldingcan also be effected by having light-orientation elements in the panel,and some of these light-orientation elements are electronicallycontrollable. This type of shielding could also be used in controllingvisual access to the main game play screen. In this manner, theprocessor can allow general viewing of cards in games where that isdesirable or tolerated, and then alter the screen where desired. Thesetypes of features can be provided by nanometer, micrometer or othersmall particulate or flake elements within a panel on the viewing areathat are reoriented by signals from the processor. Alternatively, liquidcrystal or photo chromatic displays can be used to create a screeningeffect that would allow only viewers at specific angles of view from thescreen area to view the images of cards. Such an alternativeconstruction may be desired in systems designed for card games differentfrom blackjack, where some or all of the player or dealer cards are notpresented for viewing by other participants or onlookers. Such displaycovers or cowlings can be in various shapes and configurations as neededto prevent viewing access. It may alternatively be acceptable to use aplayer-controlled switch that allows the display to be momentarilyviewed and then turned off. The display can be shielded using a cover ormerely by using the player's hands. Still further it is possible to usea touch screen display that would be controlled by touch to turn on andturn off. Similar shielding can be used to prevent others from viewingthe display.

A review of the Figures will assist in a further understanding of theinvention.

FIG. 1B shows a fully automated gaming table 1 of the prior art, asdisclosed in U.S. Patent Application 2003/0199316. The system 1comprises a vertical upright display cabinet 2 and a player bank orstation cluster arrangement 3. The vertical display cabinet 2 has aviewing screen 7 on which images of the virtual dealer are displayed.The top 8 of the player bank arrangement 3 has individual monitorscreens 10 for each player position, as well and tabletop inserted coinacceptors 11, and player controls 12 and 13. There is a separate andlarger common game play screen 9 on which dealer and player cards aredisplayed in a format large enough for all players to view.Additionally, wager areas and/or virtual chips representing wagers arealso displayed in this area. Speakers 16 a and 16 b are provided forsound transmission and decorative lights 14 are provided.

FIG. 2 shows a top plan view of the same prior art automated gamingsystem 1 with the viewing screen 7 shown more clearly as a CRT monitor.It can also be seen that each player position has to form an arc cutinto the semicircular player seating area 18. FIG. 3 shows a sideelevational view of the same prior art automated gaming system of FIGS.1B and 2 where the orientation of the three different types of CRTmonitors 7, 9 and 10 are shown.

FIG. 4 shows the schematic circuitry of a prior art automated system asdisclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0199316. FIG. 4 is a blockdiagram of processing circuitry in the game device of FIG. 1B. The gamedevice housing comprises a CPU block 20 for controlling the wholedevice, a picture block 21 for controlling the game screen display, asound block 22 for producing effect sounds and the like, and a subsystem13 for reading out CD-ROM.

The CPU block 20 comprises an SCU (System Control Unit) 200, a main CPU24, RAM 26, RAM 28, a sub-CPU 30, and a CPU bus 32. The main CPU 24contains a math function similar to a DSP (Digital Signal Processing) sothat application software can be executed rapidly.

The RAM 26 is used as the work area for the main CPU 24. The RAM 28stores the initialization program used for the initialization process.The SCU 22 controls the busses 32, 34 and 36 so that data can beexchanged smoothly among the VDPs 38 and 40, the DSP 42, and othercomponents.

The SCU 22 contains a DMA controller, allowing data (polygon data) forcharacter(s) in the game to be transferred to the VRAM in the videopicture block 21. This allows the game machine or other applicationsoftware to be executed rapidly. The sub-CPU 30 is termed an SMPC(System Manager & Peripheral Control). Its functions include collectingsound recognition signals from the sound recognition circuit 44 or imagerecognition signals from the image recognition circuit 46 in response torequests from the main CPU 24. On the basis of sound recognition signalsor image recognition signals provided by the sub-CPU 30, the main CPU 24controls changes in the expression of the character(s) appearing on thegame screen, or performs image control pertaining to game development,for example. The picture video block 21 comprises a first VPD (VideoDisplay Processor) 38 for rendering TV game polygon data characters andpolygon screens overlaid on the background image, and a second VDP 40for rendering scrolling background screens, performing image synthesisof polygon image data and scrolling image data based on priority (imagepriority order), performing clipping, and the like. The first VPD 38houses a system register 48, and is connected to the VRAM (DRAM) 52 andto two frame buffers 54 and 56. Data for rendering the polygons used torepresent TV game characters and the like is sent to the first VPD 38through the main CPU 24, and the rendering data written to the VRAM 52is rendered in the form of 16- or 8-bit pixels to the rendering framebuffer 54 (or 56). The data in the rendered frame buffer 54 (or 56) issent to the second VDP 40 during the display mode. In this way, buffers54 and 56 are used as frame buffers, providing a double buffer designfor switching between rendering and display for each individual frame.Regarding information for controlling rendering, the first VPD 38controls rendering and display in accordance with the instructionsestablished in the system register 48 of the first VPD 38 by the mainCPU 24 via the SCU 22.

The second VDP 40 houses a register 50 and color RAM 58, and isconnected to the VRAM 60. The second VDP 40 is connected via the bus 36to the first VPD 38 and the SCU 22 and is connected to picture outputterminals Voa through Vog through memories 62 a-d and encoders 64 a-d.The picture output terminals Voa through Vog are connected throughcables to the main game displays 66, 68 and the satellite displays 70.Scrolling screen data for the second VDP 40 is defined in the VRAM 60and the color RAM 58 by the CPU 24 through the SCU 22. Informationfor-controlling image display is similarly defined in the second VDP 40.Data defined in the VRAM 60 is read out in accordance with the contentsestablished in the register 50 by the second VDP 40, and serves as imagedata for the scrolling screens that portray the background for thecharacter(s). Image data for each scrolling screen and image data oftexture-mapped polygon data sent from the first VPD 38 is assigneddisplay priority (priority) in accordance with the settings in theregister 48, and the final image screen data is synthesized.

Where the display image data is in palette format, the second VDP 40reads out the color data defined in the color RAM 58 in accordance withthe values thereof, and produces the display color data. Color data isproduced for each display 66 and 68 and for each satellite display 70.Where display image data is in RGB format, the display image data isused as-is as display color data. The display color data is temporarilystored in memories 62 a-d and is then output to the encoders 64 a-d. Theencoders 64 a-d produce picture signals by adding synchronizing signalsto the image data, which is then sent via the picture output terminalsVoa through Vog to the display 66, 68 and the satellite displays 70. Inthis way, the images required to conduct an interactive game aredisplayed on the screens of the display 66, 68 and the satellitedisplays 70. The sound block 72 comprises a DSP 42 for performing soundsynthesis using PCM format or FM format, and a CPU 74 for controllingthe DSP 42. Sound data generated by the DSP 42 is converted into2-channel sound signals by a D/A converter 76 and is then presented toaudio output terminals Ao via an interface (not shown). These audiooutput terminals Ao are connected to the input terminals of an audioamplification circuit (not shown). Thus, the sound signals presented tothe audio output terminals Ao are input to the audio amplificationcircuit (not shown). Sound signals amplified by the audio amplificationcircuit drive the speakers 16 a and 16 b.

The subsystem 78 comprises a CD-ROM drive 80, a CD-I/F 82, and CPU 84,an MPEG-AUDIO section 86, and an MPEG-PICTURE section 88. The subsystem78 has the function of reading application software provided in the formof a CD-ROM and reproducing the animation. The CD-ROM drive 80 reads outdata from CD-ROM. The CPU 84 controls the CD-ROM drive 80 and performserror correction on the data read out by it. Data read from the CD-ROMis sent via the CD-I/F 82, bus 34, and SCU 22 to the main CPU 24 thatuses it as the application software. The MPEG-AUDIO section 86 and theMPEG-VIDEO section 88 are used to expand data that has been compressedin MPEG (Motion Picture Expert Group) format. By using the MPEG-AUDIOsection 86 and the MPEG-VIDEO section 88 to expand data that has beencompressed in MPEG format, it is possible to reproduce motion picture.It should be noted herein that there are distinct processors for the CPUblock, video block, sound block, CD-ROM drive and Memory with theirindependent CPU's. This requires significant computing power and stillhas dumb (no intelligence) player input components.

FIG. 5 shows another example of an automated table system 101 useful topractice the game play methods of the present invention. The system 101has an upright dealer display cabinet 102 with a top 104 and the dealerviewing screen 107 which may be any form of display screen such as aCRT, plasma screen, liquid crystal screen, LED screen or the like. Thedealer screen 107 displays a virtual dealer, the dealer responding toinstructions from the players. The player bank arrangement 103 has acommon display screen 109 on which images of cards being dealt 105,dealer's cards 108, player cards 109, bets wagered (not shown) aredisplayed. The display 110 may include a touch screen with or withoutelectromechanical player input functions. The displays 110 are locatedat each player station can also display information such as thecomposition of the player's hand, the credits wagered, historicalwin/loss information, pay tables and the like. Other player inputfunctions may be provided on a panel 106 which might accept currency,coins, tokens, identification cards, player tracking cards, ticketin/ticket out acceptance, and the like.

FIG. 6 shows an electronic/processor schematic for a MultiPlayerPlatform (MPP) gaming system according to the presently describedinvention. The MPP Game engine (dealer) comprises a Heber Pluto 5 casinogame board 120 (Motorola 68340 board) operating off the PC PlatformPentium® 4 MPP Game Display processor 122. The game display processoroperates on a Windows XP platform. The respective subcomponents on thePentium 4 processor are labeled to show the apportionment of activity onthe motherboard and the component parts added to the board. As is shown,the game engine has an Uninterruptible Power Supply 124. The gamedisplay processor directs activity on the Speakers, directs activitiesonto the MPP Game Service panel, and the Plasma Monitor Card Tabledisplay. It is important to note that all communications are direct fromthe game display processor, freeing up resources available to the gameengine processor.

FIG. 7 shows the electronic/processing schematics 126 of the MPP PlayerStation Intelligence board 128 (Heber Pluto 5 Casino, Motorola 68340),each of which player stations (one for each player position) is indirect connection to the MPP Game Engine 130 (Dealer), which is in turndirectly connected to the PC Platform (not shown in this Figure). EachIntelligence board receives information for all player input systems 132a-f specific to that player station, such as the shown Coin Acceptor,Coin Hopper, Bill validator, Ticket Printer, Touch Screen and/or DisplayButton Panel, Dual Wire Ticket-in-Ticket-Out Printing and SAS System(SAS is one exemplary standard communications protocol used by a numberof casinos central computer systems.) A significant benefit resides inthe use of the independent Intelligent boards 128 at each playerposition being in direct communication with the MPP Game Engine 130, asopposed to each individual player position button panel being dead orinactive until authorized by the main game processor, as previousautomated gaming systems were constructed.

The above-described architecture is also an improvement in providing asystem with not only the intelligence at each player position, but alsoin redistributing processing capability for functions among variousprocessing components within the gaming system. In one architecturalformat, all functions of the gaming engine, except for the playerlocalized intelligence functions, are consolidated into a single PC(e.g., the Pentium 4 shown in the Figures). This would include all gamefunctions, player video functions, dealer video functions, dealer audiofunctions, security, central reporting (to a casino's central computer,for example), currency and debit functions, alarm functions, lightingfunctions, and all other peripherals on the system, except for thelocalized player functions. Alternatively, all functions requiringcommunication with the casino's main computer system are located on theplayer station intelligent boards. In this system, the main gameprocessor would talk directly with the player intelligent boards,preferably in the same novel communication format described below.

An alternative system is shown in FIG. 8, where there is a dealer engineprocessor 132 intermediate the main game PC 134 and the Playerintelligent boards (not shown). Both systems are a distinct improvementover the prior art, but with the higher power available for PC's, andwith the ease of programming a PC as opposed to an embedded system, theconsolidation of the game functions and the ability of the main gameengine to communicate with each of the player positions is enabled. Asshown in FIG. 8, the Game display processor 134 is preferably a Pentium®4 PC and is separate from the main processor 132. With the playerintelligent boards, the main game PC can receive packets of informationfrom each player station as events occur rather than having to poll eachplayer position on a regular basis 100 times to gain the specificinformation for each player input that may be made.

A description of the Heber Board, (an exemplary board that can be usedas a player station processor and/or game engine processor 132) acommercially available intelligent processing board is as follows. TheHeber Board is known for its reliability and flexibility, especially forthe Pluto 5 family of gaming products. The Pluto 5 is the controller ofchoice for the global gaming industry. Flexibility comes from a set offeatures built into the Pluto 5 (Casino) controller, and from the choiceof optional add-on boards that can be used to adapt the Pluto family tobest suit individual applications. In the area of interfacing, there arethree distinct boards, each of which serves a particular function inhelping the Pluto 5 to connect with the world outside:

RS485 Board

RS485 is an industrial-grade board for linking multiple systems inunforgiving circumstances for centralized information gathering. TheHeber RS485 board is fully optically-isolated to provide completecircuit safety when used within ‘electrically noisy’ environments. TheRS485 board uses a single RS232 connection to the Pluto 5 board and allnecessary power is also derived through this link. Two header connectorsmay be provided for the RS485 channel to allow daisy chain connectionsbetween multiple systems.

HII/ccTalk Board

This board specializes in communicating with industry standard note/coinacceptors and payout hoppers. Equipped with dual communication channels,each port is configurable to use either the HII format to connect withMars® coin/note acceptors or the ccTalk format for Money Controls®hoppers. Both channels are controlled via a single RS232 connection tothe Pluto 5 board and all necessary power is also derived through thislink. The Heber FastTrack™ package contains modular library functionsfor passing information via these channels.

Four Channel Relay Board

The relay board allows control of medium- to high-level loads such assolenoids, without risk of damage or interference to the Pluto 5circuitry. Four power-switching channels are available with absoluteisolation from the Pluto 5 control signals. Each relay is capable ofswitching direct or alternating currents of up to 7A at a maximumvoltage of 250V.

Like the Pluto 5 board itself, its modular options have been usedextensively so that their designs are fully developed and entirelystable. The options that are specified are consistently provided in massquantities. As with all Pluto products, programming for the modularoptions is straightforward. This is enhanced with the use of the Pluto 5Enhanced Development Kit and also the FastTrack™ package. Between them,these kits contain all of the low level and high level programming toolsand library functions needed for gaming applications. These systems canbe provided through a Pluto 5 Enhanced Development Kit datasheet80-15353-7 (Heber Limited, Belvedere Mill, Chalford, Stroud,Gloucestershire, GL6 8NT, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1453 886000 Fax: +44 (0) 1453885013; www.heber.co.uk). Specifications for the various boards areidentified below.

RS485 Interface

Host Interface

RS232 connection to Pluto 5/Pluto 5 Casino

All power provided via RS232 link from host system

Communication Port

Dual four-way Molex 0.1″ KK headers for daisy chaining purposes

Dimensions

80×61 mm (3.14×2.4″)

Part Number

Opto-isolated RS485 board

01-14536-2

HII/ccTalk Interface

Host Interface

RS232 connection to Pluto 5/Pluto 5 Casino

All power provided via RS232 link from host system

Communication Port

Single or dual 10 way header connectors

Dimensions

101.6×69.85 mm (4×2.8″)

Part Number

Dual channel HII/ccTalk board

01-16171-2

Four Channel Relay Board

Host Interface

Connection to Pluto 5/Pluto 5 Casino via ribbon cable using fourstandard output lines

All power provided via ribbon cable link from host system

Switching Capabilities

Up to 250V AC or DC @ 7A maximum per channel

Dimensions

80×61 mm (3.14×2.4″)

Part Number

Four channel relay board

01-15275-1

80-16949-1

One proposed hardware configuration uses a “satellite” intelligentprocessor at each player position. The player station satelliteprocessor is substantially the same as the primary game engineprocessor, a Heber Pluto 5 Casino board. The satellite processorsreceive instruction from the primary game engine but then handle thecommunications with player station peripherals independently. Eachsatellite processor communicates with only the peripherals at the sameplayer station. Thus each player station has a dedicated satelliteprocessor communicating with only the peripherals at the same playerstation and with the casino's central computer system. The peripheralsare, but not limited to: Slot accounting Systems, Bill Validator, TicketPrinter, Coin Acceptor, Coin Hopper, Meters, Button panel or LCD touchscreen and various doors and keys.

The satellite processors run proprietary software to enablefunctionality. The player station software is comprised of two modules,the first being an OS similar to the game engine Operating System andthe second being station software that handles peripheralcommunications. The software may be installed on EPROMs for eachsatellite processor. The primary method of communication between thesatellite processors and the primary game engine is via serialconnectivity and the previously described protocol. In one example,information packets are prepared by the satellite processors and aresent to the game engine processor on the happening of an event.

The proposed game engine provides communication to the player stationsto set the game state, activate buttons and receive button and meterinformation for each player station. Communication is via a serialconnection to each of the stations. The new protocol for communicationbetween the game engine, game display and player stations is an eventdriven packet-for-packet bi-directional protocol with Cyclic RedundancyCheck (CRC) verification. This is distinguished from the Sega systemthat used continuous polling. This communication method frees upresources in the same engine processor because the processor no longerneeds to poll the satellites continuously or periodically.

The new protocol uses embedded acknowledgement and sequence checking.The packet-for-packet protocol uses a Command Packet, Response Packetand a Synchronization Packet as illustrated below. The protocol usesstandard ASCII characters to send data and a proprietary verificationmethod.

Format of Command Packet STX SEQ DATA LENGTH DATA CRC-16 ETX 1 1 3 3-9995 1

Format of Response Packet STX SEQ DSP PRV ETX 1 1 1 1 1

Format of Synchronization Response Packet STX MTS MRS ETX 1 1 1 1

Legend For Figures STX Start of Packet Character SEQ Sequence # (Cyclesfrom ‘0’ thru ‘9’) LEN Length of Data Area (‘003’ thru ‘999’) DATA ASCIIData Fields Separated with ‘|’ Character CRC CRC-16 Value (‘0000’ thru‘65535’) Cyclic Redundancy Check ETX End of Packet Character DSPDisposition Code (‘A’ ACK, ‘N’ NAK, or ‘I’ Invalid Sequence) PRVSequence Number of Last ACK'ed Packet (0 thru 9) MTS Main's CurrentTransmit Sequence Number MRS Main's Current Receive Sequence Number

The Command Packet and Response Packet are used during primary gamecommunications. The protocol uses redundant acknowledgement. Forexample: The packet is initially acknowledged when first received by therecipient. The same recipient will resend anther acknowledgement in thenext communication. This second acknowledgement is the ‘PRV’ data in theresponse packet.

The communications between the Game Engine and the Player Stationintelligence is preferably a transaction-based protocol. Either devicecan start a transaction, which is why it is essential that there be anintelligent board at each player position. All packets of informationmay be sent in any acceptable format, with ASCII format preferred as amatter of designer choice. All command packets usually contain asequence number that is incremented after each successful packetexchange. The Game Engine and the Player Station intelligence usesequence numbers that are independent of each other. The sequence numberkeeps the communications in synchronization. This synchronization methodis described later.

The command packet is used to send various commands such as Inputs,Lamps, Doors, Errors, Chirp, Game Results, player input, coinacceptance, player identification, credit acceptance, wagers, etc. . . .The command packet format may be, by way of a non-limiting example:

<STX><Sequence number><Data Length><Data><CRC-16><ETX>

The data format with in the command packet may be:

<Address><Command><Field 1>|<Field 2>|<Field n>|

The response packet format may be:

<STX><Sequence number><Disposition><Previous ACK><ETX>

The sync request packet format may be:

<SYN>

The sync response packet format may be:

<STX><Mains Current Transmission Sequence><Mains Current ReceiveSequence><ETX>

A major strength of the protocol is its resilience of the Game Protocoland its ability to free up resources within the game engine. Thoseresources can in turn be used to provide more intricate games, andmulti-media affects.

Synchronization Method:

The satellite and host must become synchronized in order to provide forreliable communications using packet numbers. To facilitate this, anovel protocol synchronization method that is used. Upon applying powerto the satellite, or after a communications failure, the satelliteautomatically enters into synchronization mode. In the synchronizationmode the satellite sends out the ASCII SYN (0x16) character about everysecond. It is expecting a special response packet containing transmitand receive packet sequence numbers to be used from that point on. Afterreceiving the special response packet, the sequence numbers are usedas-is, and not incremented until a successful packet exchange iscompleted. After communications is synchronized, the sequence numbersare incremented after each packet is successfully sent or received.

As was noted before, the main game processor may contain information,data, programming and other necessary functions to enable the play ofmultiple games off the same machine. For example, the main game enginemay have rules and commands that will enable play of the tournamententry qualifying games of the present invention and other card games.The system may be controlled so that different games may be played atdifferent times on command of the casino or players.

All of the apparatus, devices and methods disclosed and claimed hereincan be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of thepresent disclosure. While the apparatus, devices and methods of thisinvention have been described in terms of both generic descriptions andpreferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the artthat variations may be applied to the apparatus, devices and methodsdescribed herein without departing from the concept and scope of theinvention. More specifically, it will be apparent that certain elements,components, steps, and sequences that are functionally related to thepreferred embodiments may be substituted for the elements, components,steps, and sequences described and/or claimed herein while the same ofsimilar results would be achieved. All such similar substitutions andmodifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to bewithin the scope and concept of the invention as defined by the appendedclaims.

1. A method of playing a wagering game using standard playing cardswhich includes a side bet wager providing players with the chance to winentry to a separate wagering game tournament, the method comprising thesteps of: placing a wager on a primary game with predetermined rules;placing a side bet wager, wherein the outcome of the side wager dependson a comparison of the player's hand rank with a plurality of presetcriteria; dealing the cards to form a player's hand and a dealer's hand;and comparing the player's hand with the plurality of preset criteria toresolve the side bet wager, and awarding both a monetary amountdetermined by multiplying the side bet wager by a specific multiple, thespecific multiple being based on the particular preset criteriasatisfied, and wherein at least one of the plurality of preset criteriais operatively associated with the granting of a second award to aplayer upon satisfaction thereof, the second award including an entrypass to a separate wagering game tournament.
 2. A method according toclaim 1, wherein the plurality of preset criteria comprise at least onestandard poker hand rank.
 3. A method according to claim 1, wherein theplurality of preset criteria comprise poker hand rankings of royalflush, straight flush, flush, straight and three-of-a-kind.
 4. A methodaccording to claim 3, wherein the at least one of the plurality ofpreset criteria operatively associated with the granting of a secondaward to a player comprises a royal flush.
 5. A method according toclaim 1, wherein the plurality of preset criteria comprise poker handrankings of a pair, flush, straight, three-of-a-kind, straight flush androyal flush.
 6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the underlyinggame is Three Card Poker®.
 7. A method according to claim 6, wherein theside wager is mandatory.
 8. A method according to claim 6, wherein theside wager is optional.
 9. A method according to claim 6, wherein theplurality of preset criteria comprise poker hand rankings of a pair,flush, straight, three-of-a-kind, straight flush and mini-royal flush.10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the at least one of theplurality of preset criteria operatively associated with the granting ofa second award to a player comprises a mini-royal flush.
 11. (canceled)12. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary game is a game against adealer hand.
 13. A method of qualifying for tournament play, comprising:placing a first wager to play an underlying casino card game; placing asecond wager on the occurrence of one of a plurality of predeterminedwinning card combinations; dealing cards to each player; dealing cardsto a dealer when the casino card game rules so require; resolving thefirst wager according to the rules of the casino card game; resolvingthe second wager against the predetermined winning card combinations andwhen a player holds a predetermined winning card combination, a payoutis made, and when the winning card combination is designated fortournament entry, awarding the winning player an entry voucher.
 14. Themethod of claim 13, wherein the voucher is transferable.
 15. The methodof claim 13, wherein the underlying casino game is a game where theplayers play against a dealer hand.
 16. The method of claim 15, whereinthe game is a Three Card Poker® game.
 17. The method of claim 15, whereeach player and the dealer receive three cards each.
 18. The method ofclaim 15, wherein earnings from the second bet are used to fundtournament prizes. 19-22. (canceled)
 23. The method of claim 13, whereinthe designated tournament entry hand is a mini-royal.
 24. The method ofclaim 13, wherein winning payouts on the second wager are resolved usinga pay table.
 25. A multi-player platform that provides multiple playerpositions for live players to engage in an interactive wagering gamewith a virtual dealer and virtual cards comprising at least two playerpositions that enable live players to place wagers on the game, adisplay system for showing a virtual dealer, a display system forshowing the virtual cards used in play of the game, and a database thatcontains the rules of the wagering game, a game engine for processing agame script including instructional steps enabling game play for eachplayer according to the rules in the database, wherein the game scriptcomprises the steps of: receiving a wager on an underlying game withpredetermined rules; receiving a side wager from a player, wherein theoutcome of the side bet wager depends on a comparison of the player'shand rank with a plurality of preset criteria; dealing cards to form aplayer's hand and a dealer's hand; comparing the player's hand with theplurality of preset criteria to resolve the side bet wager, and awardingboth a monetary amount determined by multiplying the side bet wager by aspecific multiple, the specific multiple being based on the particularpreset criteria satisfied, and wherein at least one of the plurality ofpreset criteria is operatively associated with the granting of a secondaward to a player upon satisfaction thereof, the second award includingan entry pass to a separate wagering game tournament. 26-37. (canceled)